A Demon's Plight
by waterwingeddove
Summary: Immediately following the incident with Tartaros, Erza brings Minerva to Porlyusica to see if Minerva can be returned to a human form. It turns out that the path to recovery is a lot more arduous than any of them expected. [Minerza.]
1. Chapter 1

"Are you good to walk on your own?"

As she was trying to get herself to stand, Mirajane glanced up to see Minerva in front of her with her hand on her hip. She was surprised by Minerva's concern, but she soon schooled her features and merely shook her head, "I'm fine, but thank you for the concern." Mirajane figured she should at least be polite; Minerva seemed to have a change of heart and she _was_ the one to kill Kyouka, besides Mirajane didn't have the energy to be difficult, "There's something I need to handle on my own anyways…"

Minerva only shrugged and gave a dismissive wave at that, unbothered either way, "Suit yourself. I'll look over Titania in the meantime as you run along with whatever business you have."

Mirajane's gaze steeled on Minerva once she stood, "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

At Mirajane's cautious look in her eye, Minerva rolled her one eye, "Oh, please.. It's not like I'm going to try anything while you're gone. You needn't worry over sweet little Titania." Minerva looked over at Erza in that moment, seeing the battered and bruised mage practically unconscious on the ground, "...Well, aside from the obvious worry there, I mean."

Mirajane seemed more convinced with that, and her expression softened and she nodded appreciatively, "Thank you. I'll leave her to you."

Minerva watched as Mirajane left, though soon Minerva returned her attention to Erza. She walked over towards Erza and kneeled by her side, making sure that Erza was at least alive, "It's over now. We're all safe. There's no more Face to worry about, and the demons are all gone." There was a beat of pause, "All except for one, that is."

Erza languidly jolted at the suggestion of another demon still roaming around, and she tried to sit up, "There's still one left? Where is it?" She coughed out, her attempts at sitting up proving to be futile.

Minerva coaxed Erza into lying back down, "It's me, you idiot."

"Huh?" Erza turned her head to face Minerva, a confused eyebrow raised, "...Oh, right. I almost forgot about your...situation."

"Flattering, really, but I know they're hollow words. One look at me and it's easy to remember." Minerva sneered, "But enough of that. Do you want to go join up with the rest of your friends? I'll take you to them."

Nodding at that, Erza slowly started to sit up again, "Yeah… I should see how everyone's doing, make sure they're alright…"

Minerva held out her hand for Erza to take, and from there she pulled Erza to her feet and wrapped Erza's arm around her shoulder to keep Erza upright. Minerva started walking with Erza in tow towards where she last saw action, hoping to find the rest of Fairy Tail there. Along the way and amongst a very heavy silence, Minerva noticed how Erza's gaze was trained on her and had been trained on her for the longest time, and Erza didn't look to be letting up anytime soon.

"Now… You know I thrive off of the attention, but you of all people to be staring at me like that is at least moderately unnerving." Minerva warned, glancing at Erza out of the corner of her eye.

Erza blinked a few times, surprised to have been caught, but she shook her head to regain her composure, "Sorry… I was just thinking about something."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "About me?"

"Sort of." Erza frowned out of sympathy, "I was thinking about everything that's happened. You scorned yourself for being so weak as to have been subjected to this whole transformation… I wondered if there was anything to do about perhaps reversing it."

Letting out an annoyed growl, Minerva tore her gaze away and bared her teeth, "I don't need your sympathy. I was the one who wrought this upon myself. I should have to live with the consequences of my actions, even if it means looking like this forever."

"Did you really bring this upon yourself, though?" Erza tilted her head to get a better look at Minerva, "You know, Minerva… I'm not clueless, and I'm certainly not obtuse. I kept an eye out for you and that guild you ran along to after we crossed paths again. Don't think I didn't hear the rumors about what happened to Succubus Eye. Everyone was obliterated in that place except for you… and it was all because of Kyouka's curse, wasn't it? You must have been strong enough to withstand it. It also must be why you were taken into Tartaros to begin with."

"I was weak enough to allow myself to be taken."

"You can't possibly blame yourself for this."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Titania." Minerva smiled wryly, "If I was strong enough… If I hadn't allowed myself to be petrified with fear… Maybe then I wouldn't have been taken from Succubus Eye. Better yet, if I hadn't been so corrupted by darkness, I wouldn't have been in Succubus Eye to begin with."

Erza furrowed her eyebrows in response, "What's done is done, and there's no use in dwelling upon it. Don't let yourself be bogged down by it, either."

"It must be easy for you to say that when you aren't the one scarred like this forever!" Minerva growled, placing her hand over her blackened eye, "This is a permanent reminder of my weakness and mistakes, and there's nothing I can do to fix it!"

"Perhaps there's nothing you can do, but maybe there's something I can do about it!" Erza countered, raising her voice to try and get Minerva to listen to her.

Minerva let out a bitter laugh, "What, are you planning on using your magic to change into a nurse's outfit for little old me? A pretty sight that may be, but it will get you nowhere in reversing the damage that's been done."

Erza scowled at that, growing irritated, "Would it kill you to take me seriously for five seconds?! Listen to me, Minerva! Are you truly thinking of returning to Sabertooth, to your _home,_ continuing to be so stubborn and standoffish? If you really want to change, start by accepting help and stop insisting you do everything on your own!"

"Do you really think that Sabertooth would accept a monster like me?" Minerva sneered, twisting her lips.

"Sting and Rogue sure accepted you with open arms." Erza shot back, "Even with you looking like that."

Minerva averted her gaze and clenched her jaw, unable to dispute that. Erza took that as an invitation to talk further, "There. Now at least hear me out before you start fighting back, alright?"

With a pronounced tilt of her head, almost like she was pouting, Minerva looked back over at Erza, "Fine."

"A friend of the Master's… she's quite adept in healing the most obscure of ailments. She was even able to make me an artificial eye after I lost mine as a child." Erza held her hand over her right eye at the memory, though she quickly focused back on Minerva, "There is very little she cannot do. I wondered if perhaps she would be able to reverse the transformation you were put under."

"You sound hopeful." Minerva commented, a dry tone to her voice.

Letting out an enervated sigh, Erza closed her eyes, "Yes, I am. I want to help you, Minerva. Just allow me that much."

Minerva didn't respond right away to that, she merely glanced Erza over and kept her jaw clenched tight. Her expression gradually came to be less aggressive, and soon she caved in and nodded her head. Something in her couldn't deny Erza that much. "Fine. I'll give your healer friend a shot. For you."

Erza allowed herself to flash a brief smile Minerva's way, "Thank you. You won't regret it."

Adjusting her hold on Erza as they walked, Minerva simply kept her gaze fixed ahead, refusing to look at Erza, "I better not."

* * *

"Wait… She's not coming back with us?" Sting tilted his head, confusion written all over his expression. He turned to Rogue, eyebrows raised, "But that's the reason why we came here in the first place…!"

Erza frowned to herself, staring at the ground by her feet, "I'm well aware… However, she doesn't want to return, not yet. She doesn't believe she deserves to return to Sabertooth in the state she's in. I believe I have a plan to change her back to her human form, but for now… she's not going back."

"That's ridiculous! I don't care how creepy she looks! Milady's coming back with us and that's final!" Sting shouted, fanged teeth exposed in his rage.

"Sting… That's enough." Rogue interjected, "If it is milady's wish, who are we to deny her what she wants? Everything is her decision, whether we like it or not." He focused back at Erza, and despite his composed nature, Rogue still could not completely hide the concern and disappointment on his features, "Do you think she will ever want to return to Sabertooth?"

"That's… a tough question to answer." Erza admitted shamefully, still unable to make eye contact, "I think that if she feels that she has repented, or if she thinks that she is no longer a monster… she will deem herself worthy of your company. I cannot say anything for certain… I'm sorry."

Sting's anger seemed to wane, and he unclenched his fists and frowned in helplessness, "We just want her to come back home, man… All of this is her bastard of a father's fault! Milady didn't deserve any of what he did to her!"

Erza raised an eyebrow at that, and Rogue took it upon himself to explain, "We encountered Jiemma here, shortly after you left with milady. Apparently he was the one who came to Tartaros first, and he was the one that had Succubus Eye attacked so that Minerva would be brought here and would be made into what she was." He frowned as well, averting his gaze, "This was all Jiemma's doing, what happened to Minerva… and yet he still had the gall to call her useless and weak…" He wound up taking a fistful of the fabric of his sleeve as he spoke from his growing anger as well, though he was faster in calming himself than Sting.

Erza finally looked up at that, eyebrows furrowed and a new look of determination in her eyes, "I'll fix this. I promise this to you. She will be back at Sabertooth where she belongs. Please, just allow me the opportunity to reverse what has happened to her. Then she will want to come home."

"We trust you, Erza." Rogue nodded, "Let us know if we can be of any help to you."

"Yeah. We want to help her too… We just don't know how…" Sting grunted and hung his head, letting out a heavy breath.

A small smile crossed Erza's lips, and her demeanor softened, "Thank you. She is lucky to have you both at her side in a time like this. I'm sure she will not forget that."

"And hey! You better not try and steal her for Fairy Tail either! She's ours, you got that?!" Sting teased, snickering to himself.

Rogue punched Sting in the shoulder, "You idiot…! Now's not the time for your jokes!"

Sting pulled Rogue into a headlock in retaliation, "Come on, man! You can't say I'm wrong! Remember when they nearly stole Yukino from us?! I don't want the same thing happening to Sabertooth's resident princess! So hands off, Erza!" He pointed at Erza with that statement, a grin on his face.

Erza raised her hands in surrender, unable to stop the laugh that slipped through, "Don't worry. I won't steal your princess. Though… You should probably let the poor guy go, Sting. Rogue's face is completely blue. I think you're suffocating him."

"Huh?" Sting looked down to see Rogue blue in the face, and he let go, "...Right, yeah. I knew that."

Rogue rubbed his raw neck, taking in a large breath as he could finally breathe again, "Yeah, sure you did…"

* * *

Minerva glanced over her hands, studying them, allowing for the reality of their appearances to settle in for her. It was the first time she was out of the clothes that Tartaros had put her in, the first time she was without any gloves over her hands. It was then Minerva could see the black scales that had replaced her skin, turning her arm serpentine, morphing her fingers into claws. The black scales began to fade near her elbow, where they turned into a few lines that trailed up into her neck and face. It was the first time she was without the knee-high boots as well, and through the slit of her dress, Minerva could see the markings that went up and down her legs. The demonification process certainly left its traces on her, and there was no denying the monster she had become.

In the midst of her reflection, Minerva heard her name being called, and with a slow blink she focused her gaze on Erza, "There's no need to yell, Titania. I'm right here."

Erza frowned in response, "I had been calling your name for perhaps a solid minute now. I felt as if yelling was the only way I was going to get you out of your thoughts."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Minerva drew in a breath from surprise, "...My mistake. Well, there's no use in dallying around any longer. Introduce me to this renowned healer friend of yours, Titania. You'll have to understand my eagerness to be freed from this depressing state."

Erza nodded and walked towards the reclusive tree Porlyusica called home, knocking on the door until the woman she was looking for appeared on the other side.

"Oh. It's you." Porlyusica stated with obvious disdain in her voice.

Unable to help herself, Minerva wound up smiling at that, and she peered over at Erza to gauge her response, "How loosely was the term 'friend' used before, Titania?"

"Unfortunately, quite…" Erza said to herself, but quickly she got a second wind and she stood up straighter, "I do hate to bother you, Porlyusica, but I would like to ask for your help."

"With what? You look as healthy as can be." Porlyusica said dryly, "I don't like to waste my time."

"I'm well aware. I wasn't requesting your services for my sake, but rather for my friend here." Erza stepped aside and motioned towards Minerva to introduce her.

"Another loose usage of the word 'friend.'" Minerva commented, still smiling to herself.

"Humans… Always testing my limits…" Porlyusica shook her head with a growl.

"Then this might be your lucky day." Minerva placed a hand on her hip, "I'm no human, after all. Perhaps then you will be so inclined as to help me."

Porlyusica raised an unamused eyebrow, "You look human to me, missy. If you're not human, then what are you?"

Minerva narrowed her one eye, "Take a wild guess. Starts with an 'm'...?"

"A monster?" Porlyusica said dryly.

Grinning, Minerva nodded, "Exactly."

"Minerva, stop this." Erza shook her head disapprovingly, "You're not a monster!"

"Whatever narrow loophole you've created doesn't matter." Porlyusica explained, "I won't treat you. Do not think for a second I do not know who you are, Minerva Orland. I know of the terrors you've wrought upon Fairy Tail, and especially for Lucy's sake, I will not extend my services to an enemy."

"Porlyusica, please! Hear me out!" Erza pleaded, though she was soon cut off.

"Oh, please…" Minerva sighed, placing her hand to her forehead, "Why does everyone always call me cruel for what happened to Lucy? I allowed her to get second place! I feel as if that was extremely generous on my end!"

"Some nerve!" Porlyusica sneered.

"I'll show you nerves!" Minerva stepped forward, a clenched fist reeled back, but Erza's arms around her waist stopped her from getting very far.

"Minerva!" Erza growled, struggling to hold Minerva back. She didn't have to put up a fight for long, because soon Minerva was placed under a sleeping spell and fell slack in her arms. Erza only had to move to catch Minerva to keep her from falling. Looking back at Porlyusica, Erza blinked a few times in surprise at how Porlyusica tranquilized Minerva so easily.

"Now if you're finished wasting my time-"

"Please… Allow me to explain!" Erza said, desperate, "I need help. Gravely."

Porlyusica let out a sigh and crossed her arms, eyes falling shut. She did not protest, however, which gave Erza a window to continue.

"She isn't supposed to be like this… She didn't deserve what happened to her. Her father had her kidnapped and put under demonification. What I and her friends want is for her to be returned back to normal." Erza swallowed harshly, "Please, Porlyusica… She's committed to changing, believe it or not. Putting this experience and this trauma behind her is a step in that process."

Silence followed for a moment after that, with Porlyusica seemingly thinking things over. Erza looked at the unconscious Minerva in her arms, eyes wandering over the scales and markings marring her skin. She felt sympathy and concern rising in her chest for Minerva, with the effect that demonification had on both her mind and body. Looking back over to Porlyusica, Erza was able to catch Porlyusica letting out a heavy sigh and stepping aside to make room.

"Alright, I'll look her over. But I make no promises. I have never treated anything like this before." Porlyusica caved, shaking her head.

Erza allowed herself to smile as a result, "Thank you." Moving her arm behind Minerva's legs, Erza sweeped her up into her arm, "Er… Do not tell her about this. I have a legitimate fear that she would actually kill me if she were to find out that I was holding her." And bridal style no less.

With a roll of her eyes, Porlyusica eventually complied, "Yes, yes, whatever. Just set her on the bed and I will examine her."

Nodding her head, Erza brought Minerva inside and laid her down on the medical bed. Erza moved without thinking to brush some stray hairs out of Minerva's face, and again her gaze was drawn to the mark covering Minerva's one eye. With a frown, Erza pulled away and turned to Porlyusica, "Thank you again, truly. Please… Do what you can. Many people are hoping for her recovery."

For once, Porlyusica didn't have anything smart to say. She nodded in response to that, and went to gather some supplies. Left to herself, Erza swallowed and let out a sigh, still looking at the unconscious Minerva.

She truly hoped that Minerva could get better.


	2. Chapter 2

Her mind wound up replaying the events of the past few months through her head, from the moment Erza met Minerva to where they were now. Erza had sensed darkness in Minerva from the second they met at the Grand Magic Games, but she had brushed it off, instead attributing it to an extreme case of pride for Sabertooth. However, that darkness had grown by the time Erza reencountered Minerva at Sun Village, and Erza started to notice how perhaps that darkness ran deeper, perhaps to Minerva's very core. It was during Tartaros that the darkness reached its fever pitch, though Erza was still able to bring out some light from Minerva's heart. Seeing Minerva as she was now made Erza ponder the possibilities of what could have happened if she had only done something when that darkness inside Minerva was building. She wondered if she could have prevented Minerva's downfall and her transformation into a demon. Part of her hated how she didn't act, though another half knew it was pointless to think over what could have been. She supposed it was a good thing that she at least managed to act before Minerva was irreversible in her ways, because this way Minerva can still be good, even if the demon aspect might be irreversible…

Erza was torn from her thoughts by Porlyusica's voice, and she had to blink a few times to try and process what Porlyusica had said, "I'm sorry… What was that?"

"Come here. There's something I must ask you." Surprisingly, Porlyusica did not snap at having to repeat herself.

Counting her blessings, Erza stood up and walked to Porlyusica's side, standing over Minerva alongside her, "What is it?"

With a cautious air, Porlyusica placed a hand to her chin, "Have you noticed any differences between Miss Orland before and after the demonification?"

"Well…" Erza had to pause and think it over, "There is a stronger darkness inside of her than before, if that's what you mean."

"I mean regarding her emotions." Porlyusica clarified, "Has anything changed with how she processes them, or perhaps in how intense they are?"

Erza blinked a few times, "Now that you mention it… Minerva's emotions grew to be highly volatile and unstable after… _this_ happened. She's more aggressive… She switches between emotions quickly… It's like her emotions are exaggerated in this new form. Why do you ask?"

"I know her outwardly appearance says otherwise, but the most affected area of her body from this demonification is her head, from what I'm sensing. More specifically, her brain." Porlyusica explained.

"So you think whatever they did to her affected her emotions?" Erza asked further.

Porlyusica nodded, "It makes sense that becoming a demon would bring out her aggressiveness and irritability. They are 'demonic' traits, after all. The mood swings might be a side-effect from the strain placed on her mind from the form itself. I would say it is a safe bet to say that becoming a demon heightened and dramaticized her emotions and impeded her rationality."

"Explains why she tried to punch you." Erza commented to herself, eyes trained on Minerva.

"Yes, and about that… Should our resident Miss Orland try anything like that again, I will require you to step in and protect me. I now understand that perhaps she isn't willingly acting so abrasive and volatile, but I would greatly appreciate not dying."

Erza smiled nervously, "Of course… A-Anyway… Do you think you can change her back?"

"Perhaps." Porlyusica mused, "I've told you this before, but I have never treated anything like this. Part of me wonders where I should start."

That wasn't exactly the answer Erza was hoping for, but she eventually let out a sigh and nodded her head. Wishful thinking wasn't going to get her anywhere. "Right… Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Any knowledge you have on what this demonification process entails of would be of great help to try and find a way to reverse it." Porlyusica explained as she walked away from Erza's side to continue to gather supplies.

Erza pursed her lips in thought, stepping closer to Minerva's medical bed as she did so, "I may not know what specifically happened to Minerva, but a friend of mine went through a similar process as well, but it didn't work on her." Erza began, "She was put in a tube-like machine and had these strange scaly appendages wrapped around her, attaching to her skin. They injected Demon Particles into her body through those appendages. Minerva was most likely subjected to something similar."

Porlyusica nodded to herself, "Demon Particles… I see. Perhaps we can try to flush her system of those particles, and see how she reacts."

"You're the doctor here, not me." Erza sighed. She brought her hand to Minerva's face, and she brushed more hair behind Minerva's ear, "She may not look it or let it show, but deep down… I think Minerva is scared. I'm sure she's desperate to return back to normal. She would do whatever it takes, so it's worth trying."

In that moment, while Erza had her fingertips ghosting over Minerva's skin, Minerva jolted awake and grabbed Erza's wrist tightly within her grasp. She sat up, and she pulled a fist back that was engulfed with Territory Magic and threw it at Erza. Erza reacted quickly, and relying purely on instinct, Erza grabbed Minerva's fist before it could hit her face. She winced from the pain as well as the magic, and she certainly did not enjoy the sensation from the rebound of such a blow. "Minerva, enough! It's me, Erza! You're safe!"

Breathing heavily from adrenaline, Minerva blinked a few times and stabilized her vision, seeing that it was in fact Erza in front of her. Slowly Minerva loosened her grasp on Erza and pulled her hands away once she realized what had happened, "Erza…" She shook her head to gather herself, "Sorry. I thought you were… someone else."

Erza let out a heavy breath to level herself, and she shook her hand with a grimace, flexing it to try and work out the pain, "Don't worry about it…"

Minerva pressed her lips together in a tight line at the sight of Erza's pain, ashamed of what she had done, "...Tch."

"Anyways…" Erza tried to forget about what happened, "We were talking as you were asleep. We may have a plan to turn you back."

Minerva had swung her legs over the side of the bed and crossed them, resting an elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand, "I'm listening."

"What all do you remember of the demonification process?" Porlyusica joined in, putting together some treatments.

Rolling her eyes, Minerva let out a sharp exhale, "Not much. I'm afraid my mind did wonders in repressing the incident. Although… I do remember trying to wrangle myself free of some… wires? They were transmitting something strange into me that made my body convulse. That certainly was not pleasant."

"So, it was like Erza said…" Porlyusica nodded, "Then it's decided. If we flush the Demon Particles out of your system, then you should be able to return back to normal."

"'Demon Particles?'" Minerva repeated with narrowed eyes. She glanced back at Erza, "Do you two know something I don't?"

"Yes, but you can trust us on it. Mirajane went through something similar as you did, so that's what we're basing our assumptions on." Erza explained, sitting down next to Minerva, "Can we try it to see if it works?"

Minerva glanced off to the side with a huff to avoid Erza's gaze, "Might as well…"

Porlyusica walked over to the medical bed with a needle and some other pieces for an IV, "Your arm, please."

"Oh, yeah. That's not going to work." Minerva stated with a dry voice as she turned her arm over. The scales didn't carry over onto her inner forearm, but the skin was still dark and blackened.

Porlyusica paid that no heed as she took Minerva's arm and tried to insert the needle for the IV, but the second she put pressure against Minerva's skin with the needle, the needle snapped and broke instead of puncturing the skin at all.

"Told you." Minerva said with a sigh.

"No matter…" Porlyusica muttered, getting a different needle, "What parts of your body aren't as heavily affected?"

Minerva pulled her legs up onto the bed and pulled some of her dress aside, "I suppose my legs got the better end of the deal… My back is fairly clean as well, though I'm not prone to stripping on the first date– _ouch!_ "

As Minerva was talking, Porlyusica had taken the other needle and inserted it in a vein on top of Minerva's foot, which wasn't as scaly. Minerva was caught off-guard by that, though she did her best to not seem so affected by it.

Erza smiled to herself, "I don't think I've ever heard such an undignified sound out of you before." She teased with a laugh.

"Let me stab you in the foot." Minerva growled, creating a knife of sorts in her hand out of Territory Magic, "Let's see what sound _you_ make."

"I'll pass." Erza frowned at that sort of response, though she soon figured it was due to the heightened emotional reactions that the demon form gave Minerva.

With a shrug, Minerva caused the magic in her hands to dissipate, and she simply shook her head, "Suit yourself…"

"You may want to lay down, Miss Orland." Porlyusica stated, putting the drip system together, "There's no saying how you will react to this treatment."

"Perfect…" Minerva sighed, though she did as she was asked and she laid down on the bed. Erza didn't stand up as Minerva did so, so Minerva curiously looked at Erza still seated beside her, "Are you the injured one here, Titania? This bed is mine."

Rolling her eyes and smiling, Erza only crossed her legs and made herself more situated, "I'm here for moral support, obviously." Erza flipped her hand over, holding it out for Minerva, "Look, you can even hold my hand if you want if it starts getting painful."

"In your dreams…" Minerva scoffed, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

After the treatment started, eventually Erza did stand up to give Minerva her space. Vocally, Minerva wasn't making any objections to the treatment, though physically, Erza could see the beads of sweat forming on Minerva's forehead and how her fists would grab handfuls of fabric of the bed every once in awhile.

"How are you feeling?" Erza asked after a few minutes, after watching Minerva grit her teeth, "We can stop if it's hurting you."

"No- don't…" Minerva said weakly, "I won't lie, it's not the best sensation in the world, but… God, for the first time since I became this way, it feels like I can actually think clearly…"

Erza smiled at that, "That's good. Is there anything we can do to make this easier for you?"

"Actually…" Minerva sat up slightly, glancing over at Porlyusica, "Would it be too much to ask if you could knock me out again? It was quite relaxing the last time, even if it was under some extreme circumstances."

Porlyusica raised an eyebrow but didn't seem too fazed by the request, and she walked over to Minerva's bedside with her fingertips starting to sparkle a faint pink.

"Wait, before I'm out for the count…" Minerva cut Porlyusica off, "Did I really try and punch you before?"

"Yes." Porlyusica said dryly.

Minerva smiled and let out a laugh, "I can assure you that I normally do not lead with that kind of behavior. Surely you understand."

With a roll of her eyes, Porlyusica waved her hand over Minerva's head to make her fall under a sleeping spell. She looked to Erza once she was finished and shook her head, "Her apologies need work."

Erza flashed a faint smile, "It's a process… At least she knows better now? And it seems as if your theory with her mind being affected by the Demon Particles the most is right. She can think clearer now."

"I suppose." Porlyusica sighed, "All that's left is to see if the treatment has any visible improvements on her condition."

Falling silent after that, Erza glanced towards the ground and inhaled sharply, "Right… Well, I have to step away for a little while. I need to go take care of a few things on my end, so I'm going to trust her in your care for now. She's asleep, so I doubt you'll need me to protect you."

"Leaving your friend so soon?" Porlyusica asked, interest in her voice.

"I… wouldn't say she's a friend." Erza admitted, "Minerva would be the first person to shoot that down. She's just someone who needs my help, that's all." She let out a sigh, "I won't be gone for long. I'll see if I can return tomorrow. Hopefully there's some more progress to be made for then."

Porlyusica nodded and waved her hand dismissively, "Fine, fine. I'll watch over her while you're gone."

"Thank you." Erza's gaze drifted to Minerva for a moment as she made her leave, "I'll try and return as soon as possible."

Once she was outside, Erza sighed and placed a hand to her face. This was going to be a long process, she could already tell. Even if she was shrinking in the face of exasperation down the line though, Erza still wanted to see it through to the end at least. Minerva deserved to get better. Erza could admit that much.

* * *

She could see the sun through her eyelids, and it made her groan as she stirred awake. She was quite enjoying her time asleep, but the sun had other plans for her, apparently. Minerva blinked a few times as she sat up, and as she did so, she realized that it wasn't just her one eye that was blinking, but she could open and shut both.

Turning her head towards a mirror, Minerva saw how the black markings had retreated from over her eye and allowed her to use it again. They were still on her face, but they were lighter and more scarce than before. She looked down at her hands as well, and while her wrists and below were still scaly, her forearms were considerably lighter and humanlike.

"Heh, would you look at that, Titania? Your friend isn't as much of an eyesore as she was before." Minerva smirked to herself, glancing herself over a few more times. When she didn't receive an answer, Minerva started to look around for the redheaded mage, "Titania?"

"She's gone." Porlyusica cut in, "She left shortly after you fell asleep."

"She really trusted me alone with you?" Minerva asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow.

"Apparently." There was a beat of pause, "Are you going to betray that trust of hers?"

Minerva shook her head, "Heavens no. Your treatment is working. Why would I need to lash out?"

Porlyusica pulled up a stool at Minerva's bedside, "How's your head feel?"

"Lighter." Minerva ran a hand through her loose hair, "My mind doesn't feel as cloudy as it did before. Why?"

"We believe that the majority of the Demon Particles that were injected into you targeted your brain. It brought out an ugly side to you, metaphorically speaking." Porlyusica explained.

Quirking a brow, Minerva simply laughed dryly to that, "Physically too, but that's besides the point." She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, "...Did Titania happen to mention if she was planning on returning?"

"Tomorrow, hopefully." Porlyusica said, "She wasn't sure if that was much of a possibility, however."

Minerva let out a sigh in response and laid back down, "Right, right. Well, let's just see if we can fully reverse this before she arrives…" She trailed off, glancing at her clenched hand.

Nodding to that, Porlyusica went to renew the treatment solution that was in Minerva's IV as it was running low, "The sooner you can get out of here, the better."

Minerva only grunted at the remark, placing her hands behind her head. She glanced out the window and narrowed her eyes, letting her mind wander to her thoughts. While the pressure on her mind was easing and she wasn't automatically reacting with anger anymore, the news of Erza vanishing like that did leave Minerva bothered. Eventually, she did consider that Erza never promised to stay by her side during the whole ordeal. She only promised to show Minerva to Porlyusica. Why would Erza want to stay with her, anyways? Erza had a guild to run back to. She wouldn't stay for Minerva, especially after everything Minerva did to hurt both Erza and her friends.

Minerva was already lucky enough to have been spared. The last thing she needed was to press her luck otherwise.


	3. Chapter 3

" _In the not so distant future… a battle of epic proportions will begin." The figure said, "I simply received an order from my Master to gather troops, so here I am."_

 _Minerva found herself sneering in an attempt to seem unfazed, though she found her voice betraying her as she spoke. Her expression also could not fully stay level, showing an ounce of fear behind that hard glare. "Because killing troops is oh so helpful in recruiting them to fight on your side… You must be the most idiotic of your kind."_

" _Those who cannot withstand my magic are of no use to us. We only desire the strongest…" The figure walked closer, and a devious look crossed their features, "Show me… Are you worthy?"_

" _Don't come any closer!" Minerva forced out at the top of her lungs. She tried to move, but her body was frozen and she could not take a single step to protect herself, "Stop this! NO!"_

* * *

Porlyusica thought nothing of it at first. She had experienced quite a few patients that suffered from nightmares while in her care. She had even seen a few sleep-talkers. While she had seen it numerous times before, Porlyusica still felt an ounce of sympathy for those who suffered those nightmares, and in Minerva's case, it seemed to be a very severe case. Porlyusica, for once, didn't react cruelly to seeing Minerva's discomfort; she actually frowned and let out a soft sigh. However, upon closer inspection, Porlyusica noticed something far more extreme than a mere bad nightmare in Minerva's case.

Minerva had begun to growl in her sleep, expression contorted into one of pain. She had started to toss and turn, moving as if she was trying to avoid something. The strangest part of Minerva's nightmares was how she had wrapped her arms around herself, and how she was starting to dig her scaly fingertips into her skin. Porlyusica could see how tightly and how harshly Minerva was holding herself, so much that the skin on her arms were becoming raw and reddened. The sharpened claws of her fingertips under her demon form even began to draw blood out of Minerva's skin. Porlyusica thought to wake Minerva, to save her from whatever nightmare she was surely trapped in, but something caused Porlyusica to freeze up on the spot out of utter confusion.

Prior to the beginning of Minerva's treatment, her darkened, scaly skin had run from her fingertips past her elbow, falling just barely short of her shoulder. However, under Porlyusica's treatment, the scales had receded to below Minerva's elbow and had started to lighten. Both of Minerva's eyes were also unobstructed under Porlyusica's treatment. Yet… During Minerva's nightmare, those scales started to reform, slowly but surely darkening Minerva's skin and crawling up her arms. The marks darted across Minerva's face to seal off her right eye again as well, and Porlyusica could only watch in awe.

Before Porlyusica could stand paralyzed for long, Minerva jerked awake, sitting up with a desperate gasp for air. Her breathing was jagged and deep, and her forehead was slick with sweat. Minerva seemed to realize how she was safe however, and she tried to steady her breathing as she ran her hand through her hair. It was then that she noticed how she could only see out of one eye, and she placed her hand over the sealed eye and bared her teeth.

"You said this treatment would work!" Minerva growled, directing her anger at Porlyusica.

Porlyusica narrowed her eyes, "It _did_ work. For some reason, the effects were reversed."

"What is the meaning of this?!" Throwing the blanket gathered by her waist off to the side, Minerva shot up to her feet, staring Porlyusica down.

"I don't know." Porlyusica said in a strong voice, accenting every syllable. She wasn't going to back down, even if Minerva was up against her.

Curling her fingers inwards, Minerva caused a swarm of Territory Magic to gather at her hands, growing up to her forearms. Slowly she stalked forward, that Territory Magic gushing around her, her face contorting into a snarl, gaining on Porlyusica and causing her to shrink away with every step.

Porlyusica, while she was stepping back with Minerva's every advance forward, still did not waver in the face of Minerva, "Don't come any closer!"

Suddenly Minerva froze because of that, eyes shooting wide and the magic around her arms dissipating instantly. The words triggered something in her mind and brought her back to her senses, and she gradually began to step away from Porlyusica as she clutched her head in her hands, "No… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Minerva muttered, shaking her head and gritting her teeth; suddenly her head was pounding.

"This is worse than I thought…" Porlyusica said beneath her breath, concern in her voice.

Even though that pain was in her head and she was volatile mere seconds before, the markings on Minerva's body started to fade slightly, and she was at least able to see out both of her eyes with that in mind. She let out a heavy sigh, trying to pull herself together, "I'm… going for a walk." She said tersely, spinning around on her heel, "I'll be back… and then we can try the treatment again."

Minerva didn't even wait for Porlyusica's response; she merely left before Porlyusica could utter a word.

* * *

The walk was mildly therapeutic, though the pounding sensation that was still present in her head made it difficult for her to calm down. She kept a hand pressed against her forehead, eyes closed and tightly shut to try and alleviate the pain even slightly. Sighing, Minerva did her best to push on despite the excruciating headache, and she tried to keep her mind level since that made it hurt less.

Some time later, during Minerva's walk down the path, she could sense a powerful presence coming closer to her, and in focusing her mind on the magic it alleviated the pain in her head quite some bit. Minerva slowed her pace, continuing forward slowly with one hand behind her back that was coated in Territory Magic should she need to protect herself. She had never been near Fairy Tail and Magnolia in person before, and she certainly had never been in the strange woods near the build that housed Porlyusica before, so she had no idea what she would encounter in these woods. It was better being safe than sorry.

The closer the presence got, Minerva started to look to the direction of the source to try and spot it first, and she was met with the strangest sight when she did so: bright red hair. Minerva narrowed her eyes in confusion, willing away the magic around her hands as she relaxed, "Erza…?"

Now that made no sense. Erza never exuded such a powerful magic presence outside of a fight, so why was the signal coming off of her so strong? Shaking her head, Minerva pushed that aside and instead followed the path to Erza, being sure to make her footsteps loud enough that Erza would hear her coming.

Erza looked towards the source of the crushing leaves, and she blinked a few times upon seeing Minerva, "Minerva…! I didn't expect to see you out here in the middle of the woods…"

Minerva only shrugged, placing a hand on her hip, "I needed some fresh air. It was just pure coincidence that I happened upon you out here." That was a bit of a lie seeing as Minerva tracked her down, but Erza didn't have to know that.

"Ah… Have you been getting any better at all since I've last been here?" Erza asked, trying to smile though having it falter and fall early on, which caught Minerva's eye.

"Hmm. You could say that." Minerva again lied through her teeth, keeping a watchful eye on Erza instead. She was far more interested in trying to figure out what had Erza acting so strangely…

Nodding and glancing away almost immediately, Erza instead tried to start walking away, "Well… I was just on my way to go and visit you down at Porlyusica's… Shall we return?"

Before Erza could finish that thought, Minerva loosely grabbed Erza's wrist to keep her from moving any further. It was a show of restraint for someone like her with how gentle the grab itself was, but it still contained its bite from the commanding nature of the action itself. "I don't think so."

Erza furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, glancing down at her wrist in Minerva's hand before looking back up at Minerva herself, "W...Why?"

"Something's bothering you, I can just tell." Minerva explained, "It is of my understanding that it's typical of good people to talk through their issues, so… Let's talk."

Erza seemed to become even more confused by that, but she shook her head to rid herself of that shocked expression and she instead schooled her features, "...Fine. Though let me advise you on one additional thing: it is not very typical of good people to grab people by the wrist to force them to stay and talk to you." Erza raised her wrist and twisted it a few times, drawing attention to it.

Minerva let go of Erza the second she requested it, clearing her throat and drawing in a sharp breath, "Right, sorry. My mistake. I suppose we do not have to hold this chat if you truly do not want to. I won't force you."

"Better." Erza smiled faintly, "I… should be fine. I'm just… shocked, is all."

Raising an eyebrow, Minerva then lifted a hand briefly to put a momentary halt to the conversation, "Perhaps we should sit down, then." There was a tree large stump only a few steps away, so Minerva walked over and sat down on it, crossing her legs and waiting for Erza to do the same.

Erza nodded and joined Minerva then, letting out a deep sigh to prepare herself. Her gaze remained plastered on the ground, and she adjoined her hands as she talked, "I got some… surprising news from the Master today. Something I never thought I'd ever hear from him, especially now of all times…"

Minerva leaned in, filled with anticipation. Erza was certainly masterfully dodging addressing it outright, "Which was…?"

"He disbanded Fairy Tail." Erza choked out tersely, mouth dry, "Fairy Tail is gone."

"What?" Minerva furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, "That makes absolutely no sense even in the slightest! With everything that happened with Tartaros, isn't this the time where it is the most dire for Fairy Tail to stay together?"

"I thought the same…" Erza sighed, "I suppose not."

Minerva rolled her eyes, "How ridiculous, not to mention utterly unforgivable-"

"Minerva." Erza turned her head to look at her, voice stern, "You're trying too hard."

Inhaling a deep breath, Minerva eventually nodded. Her words were starting to feel hollow and empty the more she spoke, anyways. "Right… Well, I suppose that being kicked out of your home you've known for so long is nothing easy to swallow, and as such… I do feel sympathy for you in regards to your situation."

"That's something, I suppose… Thank you." Erza lowered her head, obstructing Minerva's view of her yet again.

"Mm." Minerva simply hummed in response, eyes flitting off to the side as a heavy silence fell over them both. She didn't quite know what to say, but she supposed that she would try and change the subject, "...You know, perhaps I wasn't as honest with you as I should've been-" Minerva was cut off from her train of thought by a poignant sniffle coming from Erza, and Minerva froze instantly. Slowly she looked over at Erza, and her worst fear came true; Erza really was tearing up. Minerva could only grimace as a response.

Eventually, however, Minerva loosened up and placed her hand on Erza's back, trying to be comforting but not knowing at all what to do. She ended up not saying anything, not wanting to misspeak yet again especially in a time like this.

Erza rubbed at her eyes with a hand, shaking her head and trying to compose herself but to no avail, "How could this be over so soon…? We were supposed to band together even during the hardest of times because we were family, but how could I believe any of that anymore if we disbanded as soon as things went south…?"

Minerva let out a long breath. She had to have been the most clueless person on these sorts of situations, yet she was the one that Erza had in this moment. She had to figure out something to say, no matter how hard it was for her to try and think this sentimentally before. "Well… Perhaps it's not as black and white as you would like. Not everything's perfect, no matter how much you may want it to be."

With a heavy sigh, Erza eventually sat up straight and sniffled again, pulling herself together even if it was a slow process, "Yeah… It seems so."

"Look, Erza…" Minerva shook her head and glanced away, "I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help to you like this… You know how unable I am to form emotional connections."

"I know. You're trying though, and that's progress." Erza smiled faintly, "But I think you're getting close to one."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "Am I?"

Erza nodded, "Yeah. With me."

Rolling her eyes, Minerva glanced away and shook her head, though she couldn't stop herself from smiling no matter how hard she tried. It was as if it was a power outside of her control taking over her to show such emotion. "Keep telling yourself that, Titania."

"Fight it all you want, but I still think it's true." Erza leaned forward in that moment, wrapping her arms around Minerva in a hug, "I feel slightly better after that, after we talked. I know you don't believe you were of much help, but just having you try is momentous enough. I can't ignore that, and I appreciate it greatly, so… Thank you, Minerva."

Minerva inhaled sharply at the sudden contact, and she looked down at Erza with a confused look. Being hugged was a new experience for her, and she never expected anything from Erza, no less. It was safe to say she was fairly surprised, and she only got to placing her hand on Erza's back haphazardly before Erza pulled away. "...Right. You're welcome, I guess…" Minerva figured that was the right thing to say in the situation, and she flashed a momentary smile.

Erza wiped her eyes one last time and let out a breath, standing up and brushing herself off, "Heh, well… Now that our talk's done, should we head back to Porlyusica?"

Nodding, Minerva stood up as well and ran a hand through her hair to pull herself together, "That works for me."

Suddenly Erza narrowed her eyes at Minerva and took a step closer, "Hey, the markings…" Erza's hand ghosted near Minerva's arm, almost as if she were hesitant to touch it. When Minerva moved her arm closer, Erza took it as permission to take ahold of Minerva's wrist and lift her arm up so Erza could study it better, and Erza trailed the fingertips of her free hand down Minerva's forearm which had lightened considerably and lost some of its scales, "They receded."

Minerva and Erza's eyes met, both filled with surprise and confusion, and suddenly Minerva realized something; her headache from before was completely gone too, "You're right… But I'm not undergoing the treatment at all.."

Erza flashed a determined expression before letting go of Minerva's arm, "We need to talk with Porlyusica. Maybe something else is going on."

Minerva nodded, arm falling back to her side, "Right. Let's go."

As Minerva made her way back to Porlyusica's alongside Erza, she replayed everything that had happened in her mind, looking everything over. At first, her day started off with her markings returning to how severe they were when Minerva was part of Tartaros, and now… They were almost gone. It was so strange how fickle the markings were when it came to appearing and fading, and Minerva didn't understand how or why they worked how they did. Perhaps Porlyusica could shed some light on this situation, but something else was bothering Minerva regarding the whole situation, specifically what might have brought about some change.

How did Erza play into all of this?


	4. Chapter 4

They returned to Porlyusica shortly enough, and she turned around to greet Minerva and Erza both when she heard them walk in.

"You've returned earlier than I expected." Porlyusica said, "Both of you."

"Chance encounter in the woods, would you have it." Minerva said in a droll, shrugging.

Erza smiled faintly at that, "How were things while I was gone?"

Minerva instantly drew in a sharp breath at that, tensing up as she looked at Porlyusica. Her gaze softened however, knowing that Porlyusica had a right to tell Erza of the incident.

"Fine." Porlyusica said without skipping a beat, though her gaze drifted to Minerva. Minerva mouthed a 'thank you,' and Porlyusica just nodded in return, "Though… There is something I have discovered. It may be speculation, but it makes sense."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "Is that so…?"

Porlyusica's expression turned serious, "Surely you've noticed how sensitive the markings are, able to appear and disappear within a second's notice. Well… I think I found the reason for it."

"You have?" Erza asked, glancing at Minerva, "Please, tell us!"

"We've already established how the Demon Particles are focused more in your head than anywhere else in your body…" Porlyusica began, "And I've already discussed with Erza how they seem to influence your emotions, but… What if your emotions also influence them?"

Minerva placed her hand on her hip, "So, what I feel affects how the markings appear?"

Porlyusica nodded, "The Demon Particles feed off of any negative emotion you have… and if they multiply, they cause the markings to reform. However… if your mind is void of these negative emotions, the Demon Particles cannot be sustained, so the markings vanish."

"I guess I'm never allowed to be angry again, huh?" Minerva said dryly.

Erza nudged Minerva with her elbow to get her to stop, "Minerva! That's enough!"

"What? It was just a joke!" Minerva pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at Erza.

Porlyusica didn't pay that any heed, "I'm sure you can be angry still. All you have to do is learn how to keep the Demon Particles and their spread under control. If you can do that… then the markings shouldn't be an issue."

Minerva let out a sigh, averting her gaze to the ground, "That sounds as if you're certain the Demon Particles cannot be removed from my body in full…" She said, and for once, she allowed her voice to carry the disappointment and sadness she felt instead of her internalizing it.

Porlyusica did frown at that, "I'm sorry. The properties of these particles… It makes it very difficult to remove them entirely. They feed off of your emotions, and I do not think you can ever fully be rid of them."

Nodding, Minerva clenched her jaw and balled her fists, "Then I suppose I should focus on controlling the markings instead." She lifted one arm, noting how the scales on her skin were slowly taking on a darker shade and moving further up her forearm, "And this… isn't a good start."

"It's tough news to take." Erza interjected, "It's only natural your frustration and disappointment would make for the perfect environment for the Demon Particles to grow in, if what Porlyusica says is true." Lifting her gaze, Erza met Minerva's eye with a sympathetic look, "Rest. We can try and practice once you let the news sit in for a little while."

Minerva didn't give a verbal response to that. Instead she spun on her heel and turned away, walking off and out of the room. Porlyusica glanced over at Erza after Minerva left, though she said nothing.

Erza's lips were pressed into a thin line and she had drawn in a sharp inhale, "Are you at least going to try with the treatment still?"

"It does seem to help, even somewhat." Porlyusica nodded, "So yes, I will. But I have a new concern with our resident tigress."

Raising an eyebrow, Erza only tilted her head in response, "Which is…?"

"Learning to control something so wildly unpredictable and fickle will only bring about frustration, and when her brain is as compromised as it is under that demonic influence… It may bring about some fairly extreme responses from her." Porlyusica explained, and she turned to get something from one of her drawers, "In the case that Miss Orland experiences one of those extreme reactions… I have something to keep her from hurting anyone with that magic of hers."

Erza joined Porlyusica and looked over to see what that particular object she was talking of was, and she glanced at Porlyusica upon seeing they were two bracelet-like artifacts, "Are these what I think they are?"

Porlyusica nodded, "Magic blockers. Hopefully it won't come to having to use these, but the option is still there if it's needed."

Erza let out a sigh and nodded her head. The idea of using them on Minerva left a foul taste in her mouth, but at the same time, Erza knew that their safety was important as well, "Let's… Let's hope it doesn't come to this."

Elsewhere, next to the threshold of the next room where Minerva exitted to, she stood out of view but still in earshot to what Erza and Porlyusica were discussing. With an angered expression, Minerva glanced down at her hands, where her Territory Magic glowed around her fingertips.

"They will pry my magic from my cold, dead hands…" Minerva growled under her breath, clenching her fists before walking off.

* * *

Minerva looked her arm over; the markings were about right down the middle from being at their strongest and from being completely cleared. It had been a few minutes, and despite her attempts, no progress had been made on making the markings vanish. Even so, Minerva at least enjoyed the change of scenery outside, so she wasn't growing frustrated yet.

Erza spotted Minerva resting outside, and she made her way over to Minerva's side quietly, not wanting to disrupt her focus if Minerva was in the middle of trying to control the markings on her skin. She sat down on the large tree stump Minerva was and waited, keeping to herself in the meantime.

Turning her head towards Erza, Minerva studied her for a few seconds with her hand in her chin, "Can I ask you a question?" She said suddenly, still in the midst of scrutinizing Erza.

Admittedly, Erza found herself fidgeting under Minerva's gaze. Minerva was holding nothing back in appraising her, and Erza wasn't sure what to think since it looked as if Minerva was searching for something specific. "What is it?"

"Why are you here?"

Erza blinked a few times and shook her head. That question came out of nowhere… "Er… Excuse me?"

Minerva looked confused for a moment, "Was I not clear? Strange… I'm sorry, allow me to rephrase. Why are you staying here with me? I cannot for the life of me understand why you're sacrificing your time to be here when it doesn't directly involve you, unless…"

"Unless what?" Erza asked, swallowing hard.

"Unless you're here as a distraction." Minerva steeled herself, narrowing her eyes and growing defensive, "Unless you're using my predicament as an excuse to not focus on the issues brought onto you by Fairy Tail's disbandment. Frankly, Titania, if this is true… I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I won't be your little distraction. I'm starting to believe I deserve better than that."

Erza shook her head yet again, striving to understand, "Hold on, Minerva… I can promise you that I'm not here to distract myself from the issue with Fairy Tail. Of course, that is a problem I still have to come to terms with, but… I'm dealing on my own while I'm here too. You're not a distraction to me, Minerva. You never have been."

Minerva raised her eyebrows out of interest, growing at ease with that answer, "Then I still don't understand you. If you're not here to use me as a distraction, then why are you here?"

Letting out a sigh, Erza paused for a moment to sort things out in her head. She wanted to word things carefully, and she also wanted to make her message clear for Minerva to understand. Minerva was still learning, and Erza had to keep that in mind. "Well… Because I want to be here. You needed help, and I want to make sure that you get it."

"So you have a hero complex then?" Minerva asked, confusion in her voice.

"...No. Genuinely, I want you to become better. You may not have wanted it, but I at least wanted to be… a friend to you in your situation, in case it would make it easier for you to handle." Erza explained, flashing a smile.

"Then I truly don't understand you." Minerva shook her head with a sigh. Eventually however, she did force a smile, "But… I suppose I should be thanking you, for your generosity. Your help is appreciated, that I assure you, even if I fail to understand why I'm receiving it."

Erza's smile widened at that, "You're welcome, but it was my pleasure. Maybe I can try and explain it to you more if you wish."

Shrugging, Minerva straightened her posture and lifted her chin out of her hand, leaning back, "By all means, do try. I… I really want to try and learn what drives you, Erza. You're an enigma to me, but I know you also follow a desire to do what's right. I should try and be more like that…be more like you."

"It's a learning curve." Erza said, inching closer to Minerva so that they were sitting side-by-side, "But I can do my best in helping you understand."

"Please do." Minerva smiled, turning to better face Erza.

"Well… Sympathy is normally a strong force in driving people to do good. When I heard about your situation, I couldn't help but try and do my best to help you. You didn't deserve what happened to you, and I only want to see you heal from it." Erza explained simply.

Minerva nodded along to that, though she found something she didn't understand, as expected. Furrowing her eyebrows, Minerva tilted her head and thought things over, "Hold on… I don't recall telling you much about my situation… What's there to be sympathetic over?"

Erza drew in a short breath, "You were shouting something about becoming strong… And then you were reciting Sabertooth's old mantra to yourself… You weren't fighting for yourself, were you? You were fighting because someone… or at least their influence, was making you."

Clenching her jaw, Minerva forced herself to look away. She did her best to remain calm however; she wasn't going to lose her temper at the mere mention of someone.

"Jiemma… He's done so many wrongs to you. He tried to make you into something despicable… I'm only sorry I couldn't stop him from doing something unimaginable to you…" Erza said with a sigh, eyes falling closed.

"Wait…" Minerva glanced back to Erza, "You don't know Jiemma. You've never known Jiemma. What on earth could you have possibly been able to stop him from doing to me? Everything he's done happened before you were even in the picture!"

Erza froze. Minerva had been overanalyzing her every word in an attempt to understand her, so of course something like that wasn't going to go over her head. Erza didn't want to be the one to tell her what happened, but it seemed as if she had no choice. She didn't want to lie to Minerva, either. "You see… Your father… He was the one responsible for your capturing, and for what came after."

Minerva's eyes widened and her teeth bared, a mix of anger and surprise found on her features, "Jiemma… did this to me?" She asked, shaking from her attempt at restraining herself, "He's the one who ruined me and turned me into a disgrace?!"

"Minerva!" Erza shouted, lifting her arms in defense to prepare herself against Minerva, "There's still hope for you! We can reverse what he's done!"

"Hope?! You're trying to say there's hope for me?!" Minerva shot up to her feet, tensing the muscles in the arm that was now fully overcome with scales, "You heard it yourself, Titania! This is permanent! I'll never be rid of this darkness inside of me, and forever I will be scarred with these markings! These… These horrid marks of a monster!"

The second Minerva's eye became sealed off by the marks on her skin, Erza jumped up to be level with the fully transformed Minerva. "And you heard it too, Minerva! You can control them if you try to!"

A wry laugh left Minerva's lips, "As if someone as wretched as I am could ever keep my mind void of anger and sin long enough to kill off the disease inside of me! A disease I didn't even ask for! Jiemma did this to me! He ruined me beyond repair!"

"You can fix it, Minerva!" Erza shouted back, "You can be better than him!"

"What better am I than him if I cannot even control my own body?!" Minerva growled, glancing down at her discolored skin, "This is a permanent reminder of my own weakness and mistakes!"

Erza opened her mouth to protest, but she was cut off by a pulsating pressure. Her eyes widened because of the pressure, something which resonated like a heartbeat but much more oppressive. Focus returning to Minerva, Erza was able to pinpoint the pressure as the raw magic power emanating off of Minerva in rhythmic pulses. Soon those pulsations escalated into a purple aura that bursted rapidly around Minerva, the raw magic energy taking on a tangible and visible state from her rage.

"Minerva…" Erza said in a warning, "Stop this. You can control yourself."

Minerva growled at that, balling her fists and clenching her teeth. This only made the magic around her more violent since her anger was starting to control her and her mind. In seeing this, Erza let out a low breath before closing her eyes. She had to counter Minerva's power, and so Erza caused her own raw magic to erupt around her in a flaring crimson aura that rivaled Minerva's own. Opening her eyes, Erza gazed into Minerva's own with a determined expression, unwavering and standing her ground.

"Go ahead and let it out if you must." Erza stated, voice commanding, "Just know that I can match you."

Minerva stared at Erza for a few tense, heavy moments, breathing harsh and forced and magic unpredictable. However, even in this state ruled by anger, Minerva knew that she would be evenly matched, or at least Erza would put up enough of a decent fight that no longer made things worth it for Minerva, so she knew to stop. The magic around her rippled off of her and faded into nonexistence, leaving a gust of wind in its wake. Minerva panted from the energy that left her, and soon she shook her head and turned away, walking back to Porlyusica's house.

Erza lifted an arm to shield her face from the magic, but was surprised when the only thing she was met with was a harmless current of wind that caused her hair to blow. She powered down as well, though her magic peacefully dissipated compared to Minerva's sudden disbursement. She ran after Minerva as she stormed off towards Porlyusica, unsure of what the other was planning, "Minerva, wait!"

Pushing the door open, Minerva spotted Porlyusica shortly enough and walked up to her, exuding an intimidating presence but otherwise promising no harm, "You… I need you to do something."

Erza burst into the room after that, trying to stop Minerva from doing anything rash but stopped when she realized Minerva wasn't going to hurt Porlyusica at all.

Porlyusica seemed a little unnerved by the sudden request, but she didn't show much of her concern, "Which is…?"

Minerva joined her wrists together in front of her, balling her fists and holding her hands forward towards Porlyusica with a pleading look, "The blockers. Now."

"Minerva, that's hardly necessary-" Erza cut in, stepping so that she was standing right beside Porlyusica and Minerva both.

"Yes, it is." Minerva countered, looking at Erza before back to Porlyusica, "I'm volatile. I can barely control my own magic in this state. I'm a danger to both myself and the two of you, and I'm not going to let myself hurt either one of you. I don't have the ability to stop myself on my own. I need the magic blockers. Please."

Erza froze, eyes shooting wide and unable to speak. She was rendered speechless by Minerva suddenly stepping up to take responsibility for herself, and so shortly after that outburst of hers as well. Erza chalked it up to Minerva using the few moments of herself being the dominant power in her mind to protect everyone just in case she would lose control shortly afterwards. Even though she didn't agree with it or saw the need just yet, Erza wasn't going to stop Minerva.

Porlyusica looked surprised to see Minerva even knowing of the magic blockers' existence, but she didn't keep hesitating for long. She took the two artifacts from her drawer and fastened them around Minerva's wrists, and soon the small lacrima orb embedded in each of the artifacts started to glow a purple color similar to Minerva's raw energy. Minerva looked the bracelets over once they were clasped around her wrists, feeling restrained already.

"Are they working?" Erza asked, stepping closer.

"Yeah." Minerva responded quietly, "Not even my Territory Magic is working."

Erza nodded weakly, "Are you sure you needed this?"

"Erza…" Minerva bleakly shook her head, "It's for the best. You saw what I nearly did. The only reason why I didn't attack was because I knew you would stop me."

Erza didn't say anything in regards to that incident, since her own display of magic was mostly a bluff; Erza wondered if she could even come close to Minerva at full power. Minerva didn't have to know that however, so Erza left it alone. "If you're sure… I'm proud of you for being this responsible for yourself."

Minerva nodded, and in that moment, the marks receded down her face, opening her eye at the very least. Erza smiled at the sight.

"We can work on controlling those next." Erza said with a hint of hope to her voice, "They seem to run independently from magic, so the magic blockers won't interfere in trying to tame the markings. Who knows… maybe the blockers will even be helpful?"

Minerva only sighed. Leave it to Erza to try and spin the terrible situation into something positive. Again Minerva was clueless as to how Erza worked, and at that point, she was too tired to try and delve into Erza's mind to understand it.

Minerva's gaze drifted down to her arms again. She hated how her cherished magic was now robbed from her, and she couldn't help but feel angry as a result, but she could keep this anger in check. A part of her remembered how this would only be temporary, so at least she could look forward to getting her magic back someday. For once, Minerva could see what it was like to know that she had done the right thing, and she wondered if that was what Erza experienced every day.

Did Erza also feel a terrible taste in her mouth whenever she did the right thing?


	5. Chapter 5

The treatment was slowly causing Minerva's demon form to recede, and it was helping Minerva keep her mind calm and relaxed. However, Porlyusica soon stopped the drip and removed it from Minerva, covering the entry point with a bandage to prevent any bleeding. Minerva watched this with a curious look. She was starting to trust Porlyusica's judgment however, so she wouldn't be lashing out at the other woman any time soon.

"Is that all for today?" Minerva asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

Porlyusica nodded, Minerva's calmer response not lost on her in the slightest, "I'm afraid so, yes."

Minerva blinked a few times and tilted her head, "That sounds as if you're stopping against your wishes. Is something going on?"

"I'm running out of materials to make the solution, I'm afraid." Porlyusica explained with a sigh.

"...Ah." Minerva lowered her head, voice sounding cracked, "I see… Well, I supposed that can't be helped. It's unfortunate, but I understand."

That went smoother than Porlyusica expected. Something inside of Minerva must have been changing, since Porlyusica was fully expecting Minerva to snap at that. That made things a lot easier. "There's no need to worry, however. I'll be leaving shortly to retrieve the items I need so we can continue at a later date."

Minerva perked up at that, "Oh, alright then. I was a little unnerved for a moment there."

Porlyusica just nodded, "Mm. The only drawback is that it will take me a few days to get everything I need. Some of the items are rare, so the search might be difficult. Could you last a few days without the drip?"

"I should be able to, yes…" Minerva ran a hand through her hair, "Perhaps it will provide me with a chance to work on dealing with these markings on my own."

Again Porlyusica nodded, but this time it was to mark the end of the conversation. She turned away from the medical bed Minerva was on, fully intending on returning to preparing her things for her journey. Minerva however wasn't finished with the conversation just yet, and she reached out for Porlyusica's arm until Erza's words from the other day rung in her ear and she stopped herself before she could even touch Porlyusica. Instead, Minerva just cleared her throat to catch Porlyusica's attention.

"Porlyusica.." Minerva began, keeping her gaze plastered on the ground and her jaw clenched tight, "I'm aware I haven't been the most… _pleasant_ of house guests, and I was certainly dropped on you without warning, so… Thank you for everything that you've been doing for me. You could've just thrown me out in the woods and told me to deal with everything myself, and frankly I would have deserved it. But you didn't… and now you're going off to who knows where in order to still be able to help me. That's… really gracious of you, and I appreciate it. A lot."

Porlyusica's eyebrows raised at that in surprise, but eventually her expression softened and she couldn't suppress a smile before she turned away, "You're changing, Miss Orland. A week ago, you would've shoo'd me off posthaste in order to continue the treatment as soon as possible. Miss Scarlet must have really made an impact on you."

Minerva flashed a smile for a moment but she forced it down. Luckily, no one was looking at her to see it, "Hmph. Perhaps she has…"

"Well, I should head out." Porlyusica finished preparing her things and she slung the bag over her shoulder, "I will return in the next few coming days. Do not destroy anything while I'm gone, or else I will throw you out in the woods to handle everything by yourself after all."

Allowing herself to laugh at that, Minerva smirked in response and shook her head, "Ah, thank god. The sentimentality was starting to gross me out there for a second." She gave a wave of her hand while Porlyusica walked out, "Fret not, I'll make sure the place stays in one piece."

"That was a responsibility I had hoped you'd relay for Miss Scarlet to enforce." Porlyusica corrected with a grin before she left the room.

Minerva could only laugh once more, letting out an amused sigh, "I suppose that's only fair…"

Once Porlyusica was in the other room, she came across Erza, and Erza immediately sat up when she saw how Porlyusica was packed and prepared for a journey.

"Is something up?" Erza asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I have to find more materials for Miss Orland's treatment, that's all." Porlyusica explained, "However… There is something I wanted to talk to you about."

Erza merely placed her hands on her hips and waited, "Which is?"

Porlyusica raised one clenched hand and motioned with the other for Erza to reach out. Once Erza held out her hand, Porlyusica placed a key within her grasp, "These are to the blockers around Minerva's wrists. I trust your judgment on if she must continue to wear them while I'm gone."

Glancing down at the key in her hand before returning her gaze to Porlyusica, Erza nodded, "Right. Thank you. Be safe in your travels." Porlyusica passed her afterwards, and Erza took that as a chance to go see Minerva in the other room.

"Surely you've heard the news." Minerva said once she spotted Erza, "You're in charge for the next few days."

Erza grinned slightly, "Don't say that. It makes me sound like some kind of babysitter if I'm in charge of you."

"Perhaps…" Minerva teased in a draw, stretching her arms above her head and closing an eye with a smile on her face, "But I do enjoy the lack of responsibility that requires of me."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Erza could only shake her head. She glanced Minerva over, noticing how the markings were very light over her arms. Minerva also appeared to be in a relaxed state, so that was as good a time as ever for Erza. "If you want, we can go out and practice keeping those marks in check."

Minerva raised an eyebrow and looked at her arms, "They look pretty in check to me."

"True, but they're still slightly visible. I was thinking that if we talked some and worked you down to where they vanished entirely, you can remember the state of mind you were in so that you know what to shoot for if they ever return."

Shrugging, Minerva rose to her feet and ran a hand through her hair, "This is the first time someone's ever tried to chat me up without looking for anything in return from me. Props to you, Titania. Perhaps I won't be so evasive with you as the others."

Erza bit her lip and raised her eyebrows, tongue prodding at her cheek. Minerva had no issues sharing that side of her, apparently. "I can imagine." She said easily, though she recovered shortly enough for a smile, "It's good to see you have a sense of humor in there somewhere."

"Is it that hard to believe that I do?" Minerva asked, spinning around after pushing the door open and stepping outside.

Erza shook her head, "Not at all. I've just never seen it."

Minerva smiled slightly at that too, "Well, maybe you can see a lot more of it in the future now, if you like it so much."

"Depends on if all of your jokes are just you bragging about how much attention you attract." Erza teased, shoving her finger into Minerva's chest.

Stumbling back after being caught off-guard, Minerva's smile only widened, "Oh, but those are my best ones, Titania!"

"Find some new ones." Erza chided, "I get it, everyone would kill to have a shot at you, because you're _so_ amazing."

"See, you understand." Minerva knew Erza wasn't serious, though that didn't stop her, "You must see it too, right?"

Erza rolled her eyes again, unable to stop her grin from coming through, "Of course. I'm just dying for my chance."

"You know I only tease, Titania." Minerva placed her hands on her hips, "If it bothers you so much to hear about my fans, then I'll stop."

"Look at you, growing so considerate.. I'm proud." Erza said in a sweet voice before her expression turned smug, "We're done with that conversation. No take backs."

Minerva seemed surprised that Erza actually wouldn't let her continue, but she clamped her mouth shut and let out a sharp breath. It wasn't like she could go against Erza after appearing so committed to stopping. She just kept walking until she realized that Erza had stopped, and she turned around with a confused look, "What, have I made you not want to come along after all?"

Erza shook her head and instead waved Minerva to come join her, "No, not at all. Surely you don't want to always spend our time outside on that uncomfortable tree stump. I was thinking maybe we could just sit on the grass."

"The grass…?" Minerva repeated with a dry voice, an incredulous look on her face. When Erza nodded, showing she was completely serious with her suggestion, Minerva merely let out a sigh. She couldn't say no to that. "Alright, I suppose we're on the grass now…"

"Come on, it won't be so bad. I know you're a lady, but it won't kill you to let a little loose every once in awhile and get your hands dirty." Erza patted the area next to her.

"Oh, Titania…" Minerva said with a sigh, sitting down next to Erza, "You have no idea how dirty my hands have been."

Erza pursed her lips in a frown. That wasn't how she was wanted the conversation to go initially, but perhaps she could make it work. "I really don't, Minerva. Though maybe it would help if I did know. To understand you better."

Minerva's eyebrows raised in a sense of agreement, but she sent Erza a strange look when she thought it over more, "I doubt me talking it over would do my state of mind any favors in controlling these markings."

"That depends. Have you ever told it to anyone, what you've done?" Erza asked. When Minerva shook her head, Erza leaned forward and rested her elbows on her crossed legs, "Well, maybe if you got it off your chest, it might help."

Minerva's gaze drifted to the ground in front of her, and she looked downward with a clenched jaw, "I don't know." Minerva began, voice quivering ever so slightly, "I wouldn't want your opinion of me to turn worse than it must already be."

"You don't have to share it with me if you don't want to. I only wanted to be there for you if you wanted to talk about it, in case it would help." Erza said quietly.

"I'm sure you could piece some of it together in your mind. I don't think I could even say the words myself of what I've done." Minerva shook her head, "But… the only redeeming factor to it all is that I didn't want that life for me, at least. Jiemma… he was the one who forced me into it, who forced me to do all those terrible things as he pocketed the money from it all. If it was a well-paying job, no matter the nature, he'd make me take it. Even the ones where innocent people had to get hurt, or worse."

Erza was able to put the pieces together for the most part, though her expression soured the most upon hearing that Minerva hadn't done any of it on her own doing. She could only nod and avert her gaze, "He really is a despicable man."

"The most." Minerva's jaw tightened further, "He wouldn't let me be who I wanted to be. The moment I was born, I was destined to be a pawn in his big scheme. He tried to breed me into some heartless warrior who only carried out his orders and brought him glory. My mother couldn't even stop him from using me, even when her life was the price she paid to try and keep me safe."

Turning her head, Erza tried to get a read of Minerva's expression as she spoke. It seemed as if the scales on her skin hadn't changed color, or if they had, they didn't grow that much darker. Somehow she was keeping herself under control, though Erza was fearful as to how. "She must have seen something in you worth protecting. A light, a sliver of hope that you could be a different person than your father someday."

"She made me promise to never be a slave to his blood. My only regret is that I couldn't even hold true to her last wishes." Minerva closed her eyes, exhaling a heavy breath.

Erza shook her head, "I think you've held true to your promise." When Minerva didn't reply, only scoff, Erza continued, "It might have taken time, but… I'd say you've broken free of his control."

"He still controls me. He's the reason I'm like this, as you've so aptly said the other day." Minerva made a point to turn her head away.

"You're finding ways to move past it." Erza said, fingers lightly drifting overtop Minerva's arm where the scales were scarce, "You're saving yourself from his influence. Better yet, you're making efforts to do better and grow into a better person than he is. My opinion may not mean much, but still, that's what I believe at least."

Minerva might have tensed at Erza's touch, but eventually she mellowed out, "Erza… Your opinion is all I have..." She said, voice barely above a whisper.

There wasn't much else to do past that, so Erza simply turned where she sat so she could face Minerva fully before she switched the conversation, "Who did you want to be before all of this happened?"

"Truthfully?" Minerva's lips quirked up in a small grin, "You'd laugh at my answer."

"I doubt it." Erza smiled back, "Tell me."

"I wanted to be a dancer." Minerva admitted, finally looking back at Erza for the first time since they started talking, "I was so young… I had very naive aspirations at that age, thinking I could make a living off of something as juvenile as dancing."

"Don't say that. I'm sure you would've been amazing at it. I mean, the way you carry yourself in both battle and life… it could only be compared to the sophistication of a dancer." Erza said with a tilt of her head.

Minerva closed her eyes and laughed softly, lowering her head, "You flatter me too much, Erza."

"Perhaps… But it is working."

"What's working?"

"I'm getting you to open up, Minerva." Erza said with a warm grin, "And I have proof too, so you can't argue the point with me."

Minerva only pursed her lips and sent Erza a strange look, "Proof, huh? Sounds fake to me."

Rolling her eyes, Erza just shook her head, "You've been calling me 'Erza' a lot more frequently now. You only call me 'Titania' when your walls are up. Whenever you're being honest and open with me… you say my real name. Whenever you try to distance yourself from me, you say 'Titania.' And I got you to say 'Erza' twice in a single conversation. I'd say that's progress."

There was a brief pause in the conversation as Minerva let those words catch up to her, and she only looked back at Erza with an eyebrow raised, "Do you not like 'Titania' for some reason?"

"Not at all." Erza said bluntly, "It was supposed to be a prideful epithet that was given to me… but all too often it has been used as a name for people to taunt me with."

"Ah. I suppose I fall under that category then, huh?" Minerva inhaled sharply.

Erza winced, "I would say previously you would say it with more malice, but now it feels harmless."

"Well…" Minerva averted her gaze, running a hand through her hair idly, "I wouldn't call it harmless if it's a name you despise so much. No matter the context, it doesn't resonate well with you, does it? I think it would be for the best if I merely referred to you by your real name."

Erza smiled at that, but not solely because Minerva would be dropping the usage of 'Titania.' She could appreciate how thoughtful Minerva was becoming. "Then I was right. You really are making progress, Minerva. You should be proud."

Minerva couldn't suppress a smile in that moment, "I suppose so."

Glancing Minerva over, Erza had to blink a few times in surprise before she leaned closer, fingertips going to Minerva's arm. "It's… completely cleared up." She said in surprise, furrowing her eyebrows.

Minerva didn't seem to notice, and she glanced down at her arms in intrigue. Surely enough, every trace of the markings had vanished. "...Dear god…" She muttered to herself.

"What?" Erza looked confused, "Isn't this a good thing? Isn't this what we've been trying to do for around a week now?"

"I mean, yes, but…" Minerva stood up, eyes still trained on her hands as she started walking back towards the building, "This will not stand…"

Erza sighed irritably and pushed herself to her feet as well, following Minerva, "It would be very much appreciated if you wouldn't keep me in the dark like this!"

Minerva frowned, "Come on, Tita-... Erza. Think. I haven't seen my hands cleared up in weeks. My nails are utterly abhorrent.."

Erza froze at that, expression falling entirely, "That's what you're so worked up over? Your nails?"

"Of course, Erza. I must fix them immediately." Minerva said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She noticed Erza's irritation with her and let out a soft sigh, "...What, would it make you feel better if I did yours as well?"

"Well…" Erza looked off to the side sheepishly, "That… does sound fun…"

"Exactly. Come on, it'll be fun, right? You've been trying to get me to open up. What better way to do so than doing each other's nails?" Minerva even smirked to prove her point.

Nodding, Erza followed Minerva inside with a grin, admittedly growing quite excited at the thought.

* * *

"I can't believe you had all this stuff with you like that."

"A lady's got to be prepared, Erza. I despise looking anything less than my best."

"I mean, yeah, but… Oh my god, Minerva. You packed a salon with you."

"You're exaggerating. This is the standard setup for any lady who cares about her appearance."

"...Is that supposed to be a dig at me?"

"If the shoe fits…"

"Minerva!"

Minerva stuck out her tongue at that, focusing back on all of the supplies spread out on the bed in between them, "It was just a joke. Do you need me to tell you you're gorgeous so we can get on with it?"

Erza merely pouted and tossed some hair over her shoulders, refusing to meet Minerva's eye, "I care about my appearance…"

"Hence my attempt at trying to remedy things with a compliment that went way over your head."

"This feels like a very one-sided attack on me."

"...Fine. I'll stop." Minerva shook her head and let out a breath while picking out a black bottle of nail polish, "Pick a color. I'll do yours first."

Erza glanced over the large collection in front of her before pulling out some red nail polish, "I'll take this."

"How… mildly predictable." Minerva mused at the selection. She squinted at the bottle and pursed her lips, "Can I be honest?"

"...I never knew how terrifying those words out of your mouth would be."

"I'm taking that as a yes." Minerva continued, "I don't think it's very complementary, what with your hair being the very same color."

Erza blinked in response, "But you just picked out black. That matches your hair."

"Black is a bit of an exception. I'm just saying… it might look a little strange."

"Alright…" Erza shrugged, putting the bottle back, "What do you suggest then?"

Minerva took a moment to think it over until the perfect plan popped into her head, "I think French tips would work really well for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Erza sent Minerva a strange look, "...Huh?"

"Oh, darling…" Minerva's expression fell, "Do you really not know what those are?" When her only response was a shake of Erza's head, Minerva simply snatched up a pale pink bottle of nail polish and some white. "Alright. We're doing French tips then. Give me your hand." She said, waving for Erza to reach out.

Erza hesitantly reached her hand out, "Nothing French is ever good."

Minerva brushed that off entirely, opening up the pale pink bottle of nail polish first. "Now, hold still." She warned as she took Erza's hand, beginning to paint the base layer.

Erza flinched slightly at the unexpectedly soft touch from Minerva and the bristles of the brush together, "Sorry… This is kind of new for me."

"Really?" Minerva asked, though her attention was mostly set on Erza's nails, "That's surprising… I would have thought this would be like a daily occurrence at that happy-go-lucky guild of yours." She ended up wincing at her own words, "I'm sorry. That was… uncalled for. But still, I'm shocked. None of you girls ever spread gossip while doing each other's nails?"

Initially, Minerva's words did sting, but the apology did lessen the blow some. Erza did her best to ignore it. "Nope. I mean, we would gossip, but… I don't recall ever doing our nails."

"Surprising.." Minerva moved on to a different finger.

"...Are we supposed to be spreading gossip right now?" Erza asked rather awkwardly.

Minerva shrugged, "You can if you want to, but I'm more than content doing this in silence."

"I mean, might as well, right?" Erza smiled faintly, "...So. You… You seeing anyone at the moment, Minerva?"

Minerva stopped moving entirely, gaze rising to meet Erza's own, "You're kidding, right?"

"I-I don't know how else to start gossiping…" Erza stammered, averting her eyes.

Shaking her head, Minerva focused back on doing Erza's nails, "Well, if you're curious, the answer is no. I'm not. I had a bit of an evil streak that stopped me from being available in the dating pool, after all."

"Only today, you bragged about all the attention you would receive."

"Attention, yes. Even so, very little of that ever turned into dating. I would either reject their advances or merely have a little fun, is all." Minerva explained easily, "I wasn't entirely capable of an emotional connection back then, either."

Erza blinked a few times at how easily Minerva was telling her of her past… experiences. "I-I see… That's interesting to know.."

"There's no point in being so dodgy, Erza." Minerva picked up on Erza's hesitancy and awkwardness all too easily, "I thought this was girl time. If you want to know something, just ask. I'll tell. You said you wanted me to be more open, right? Well, here's me being open."

Erza nodded at that, swallowing to regain her composure, "Do you 'have fun' a lot?"

"Absolutely. I have no shame in saying that." Minerva smirked to herself.

"How does that work, exactly?" Erza tilted her head, "I just.. wouldn't know. That never happened at Fairy Tail, at least not to my knowledge."

"It doesn't happen at Sabertooth, either. I mostly looked elsewhere anyways. No one at Sabertooth lives up to my tastes." Minerva pursed her lips and glanced upwards, "Well, save for one exception. She was something else, alright. What a wild one she was."

Erza shook her head while trying to follow along, "Wait, 'she'?"

"Mhm. The only one in Sabertooth I actually liked. Her name was Mii. She knew how to have fun." Minerva laughed under her breath at the memories, "Other than her, I looked outside of Sabertooth. It's not hard to find someone if you just look in the right places. Any place with enough alcohol typically does the trick for me."

"If you and her were…" Erza trailed off, blinking a few times as her mind pieced it together, "Does that mean you're…?"

Minerva quirked a brow, "I can tell you're having a hard time wrapping your head around this one, Erza. Yes, I am. Tell me, regarding the people of Sabertooth, what was your first impression of the guild?"

"Other than they all were egotistical?"

"Hah, that was actually kind of funny. Yes, other than that."

Erza looked away, squinting her eyes in thought, "About the people in the guild? Well, I suppose what caught my eye is how mostly everyone was male."

"Exactly. Catch my drift as to how no one in the guild was up to my tastes now?"

"...Ah." Erza nodded after a moment, "Yeah, I see it."

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Minerva grinned, "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

Erza shook her head, "No. I think everything was answered there…"

"Good." Minerva finished with the last finger of that hand, letting it go, "Smudge that paintjob and I might hurt you. I'll work on your other hand while that dries, then I can do the tips." Once she had Erza's other hand, Minerva got to work right away, "Now… Do you mind if I return the favor? It's only fair…"

"Go ahead if you want." Erza shrugged, "I can't guarantee the answers will be very interesting."

"I'm sure they will be." Minerva said playfully, "I'm only asking this to make it even. Is there anyone special in _your_ life, Erza?"

There was a clear hesitation in Erza again, and she froze under Minerva's touch at the question. "Not… Not really."

Minerva glanced up from Erza's nails for a moment, entirely intrigued, "That sounds like a 'it's complicated.' This has to be good."

"It's… really not, but I will admit it's complicated. It would never work though, so I don't consider him an option.. Not anymore.." Erza admitted quietly.

Minerva's intrusive nature dropped when she noticed the shift in Erza's behavior, and instead she looked up at Erza with a frown, "Sounds… rough. Well, I'm here, if you wanted to talk about it."

"I don't think there's much to say." Erza let out a sigh, "There was definitely something when we were younger, but then he went down a dark path that resulted in him trying to kill me. We met again when we were older, and still he tried to kill me, and I had thought he died. He didn't die however, and when we next met, he had lost his memories and then had gotten arrested for his crimes. Then I vanished for seven years, he busted out of prison in that time, and we came across each other again. We nearly kissed, but… He lied to me about being in a relationship so nothing would happen. He doesn't view himself as worthy of me. Nothing I say will convince him otherwise, but… I think it's best we stay this way." She said softly.

Minerva gently tightened her hold on Erza's hand in reassurance, a sympathetic look on her face, "That's… too bad. I'm sorry, Erza."

"It wouldn't work. I wouldn't be able to forget what he did. He killed someone else who I cared for deeply, and I was too weak to stop it. Perhaps I would have been able to look past what he did against me specifically, but that… That made things very difficult."

"Simon." Minerva said softly under her breath.

Erza looked at Minerva in that moment, confused, "How did you know…?"

"You said something very similar to Kagura before. Nearly word for word." Minerva said, making a point to keep her gaze away, "I figured… he was the one who you couldn't protect."

"I couldn't protect him, you're right." Erza closed her eyes and sighed.

"Well… Maybe there's someone else out there for you." Minerva tried to shift the conversation, "I mean, if you're into the whole romance thing."

Erza smiled slightly at that, "I am. I hope there's someone too."

Minerva had finished painting all the nails of that hand, and she closed up the pink polish in favor of the white. "Alright, let me see the first hand again."

Offering her hand to Minerva, Erza watched her for a moment, lost in thought for a spell of time. "Hey, Minerva?" When her response was a simple hum, Erza merely continued, "There's something else I wanted to ask."

"Let's hear it." Minerva said, closing an eye to properly aim the strips of white of the French tips.

"Forgive me if I'm assuming wrong, but…" Erza tilted her head, "Since you have been growing to form emotional connections, do you think you'll ever actually go for something more long-term in the future?"

Minerva couldn't help but smile to herself, "Oh, darling, I never said that my fun was only short-term. There's been some arrangements…"

"N-Not that!" Erza stammered. Admittedly Minerva enjoyed flustering Erza like that. It was almost too easy. "W-What I meant was… do you think you'd ever date someone and try for a serious relationship?"

Minerva's smile vanished at that. She had to think it over and ask herself what she really wanted, and for some reason, there was a tug pulling her to a 'yes.' "...Perhaps one day. I'm no longer opposed to the idea like I had been before. Who knows?"

"Do you even know who you would go for if you decided to date?"

Minerva shrugged, "Someone who can put up with me, put up a good fight… And they have to be interested, too. I'm afraid I bore easily."

Erza smiled slightly, "Someone like Mii, perhaps?"

If Minerva wasn't merely dipping the brush into more nail polish, she would have ruined Erza's nails by jerking her hand in shock, "...You?! Hah! Don't be ridiculous…" She shook her head, avoiding Erza's gaze.

"N-No, I meant Mii. From before?" Erza laughed nervously, "I didn't mean _me_ me… I don't think I'd even be your type, heh…"

Minerva didn't answer that, not even with a hum. When she wrapped up Erza's one hand, she pulled away to let Erza assess how she liked her work. "How's that for you?"

Erza looked her hand over, quite impressed, "Wow… You're good at this. Maybe you should open a salon."

"I don't like people enough to run a business, Erza."

Erza let out another nervous laugh at that, "Right, Minerva…"

"Do you like it? Because if so, I'll finish the other hand."

"I do like it. You were right, it fits a lot better." Erza smiled, "Did I really suggest red before?"

"I'm afraid you did." Minerva smiled as well, working on the other hand, "Luckily one of us is fashion-savvy enough to prevent any catastrophes."

"Oh, come on. I'm fashion-savvy too! ...Hey! What's with that look?"

Minerva shook her head with a laugh, "Keep telling yourself that… Maybe one day it'll come true."

"I really am! My specialty might not be nails, but… I'm perfect with accessories!" Erza pouted, puffing out her cheeks.

Erza's insistence piqued Minerva's interest. She might have to look into that later. "Accessories, huh? Well, I suppose it fits in a sense… Though I have to say, my specialty is everything."

Erza shook her head, "If I'm being honest, I think you have a clear specialty. You're good at everything, sure, but there's something you _really_ excel at that sets you apart from most."

"Oh? Well, do share, Erza. I'm curious."

"Hair." Erza leaned forward, "Literally, everything about your hair is perfect! The bangs, the braids and twists you would have… Every part of your hair was so well put together, and it worked so well! Even now, when your hair's all down and unstyled… the cut doesn't even look bad or different. In fact… I'd say your hair even looks best when it's all down and slightly unkempt."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at that, lips pursing inquisitively, "Is that so?"

Nodding, Erza smiled slightly, "Yeah. Now, I'm not saying you don't look amazing when you're all put together and dressed up, but… you still look great even when your hair's down and messy."

"I wouldn't say it's messy." Minerva commented, running a hair through her hair to push it out of her eyes.

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Erza shook her head.

Minerva did smile in return, "I know."

Erza's gaze drifted down to the bed below, a wider smile forming on her lips, "You know… Never would I have imagined something like this happening between us, back when we first met. But… I'm glad it can happen now. You're very pleasant to be around, Minerva. I enjoy talking with you."

Minerva rested her chin in her hand and smiled out of amusement, "There's something alluring about you as well, Erza. I've been having fun too." Although, her mind caught up with some of Erza's earlier words, and that smile of Minerva's vanished and she cleared her throat, gaze flitting elsewhere, "And, about when we first met… I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. Everything went too far, and for no utter reason. Someday I'll make it up to Kagura and Lucy as well, but since you're here, and since you've been doing so much for me… All I can say is that I'm sorry."

"You're changing. I can accept that apology knowing that." Erza responded, jaw clenched tight, "I do hope you show Kagura and Lucy the same remorse, but as for me… we can move on. I'm ready to move forward, but with you as a friend rather than an enemy this time. I just hope that you see it that way too."

"Friends…" Minerva said quietly, testing the word out on her own tongue. Slowly her gaze moved back to Erza and she smiled, nodding, "Alright, Erza… Friends it is."

Erza leaned closer and wrapped her arms around Minerva, pulling her into a hug, "Thank you.. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

Not making the same mistake as the last time Erza hugged her, Minerva unfroze from her surprise quickly enough and returned the embrace just as tightly, throwing her arms around Erza's waist. She let her chin rest on Erza's shoulder and closed her eyes. "It means a lot to have you with me, too. I wouldn't be this way without you, so… thank you. For everything."

"Gladly." Erza smiled and closed her eyes as well, letting herself relax in Minerva's arms, "And I'd do it again, too. There's something in you worth saving."

"Thank you." Minerva said softly. Erza's grip around her tightened in that moment, and she could feel Erza's nails pushed against the skin of her clothes. It didn't hurt, but it was something she could pick out. It took her a moment before she realized that it should bother her, and she wound up glaring at Erza out of the corner of her eye and growling under her breath.

Erza blinked when Minerva started growling, and she glanced over towards Minerva while her grip slowly loosened. It was a bit frightening to have Minerva suddenly turn so aggressive like that. "...What?"

"I swear to god, if you ruined that paintjob by _hugging me,_ I am throwing you off this bed!" Minerva threatened, "I felt your nails in my back!"

Erza hurriedly pulled away so she could inspect her nails, and her shoulder sagged at the sight, "...Please don't be mad, but-"

Minerva took Erza's hands and looked them over, seeing the white smeared everywhere. Her gaze returned to Erza, but eventually she couldn't keep that hardened glare any longer, and Minerva just ended up bursting into laughter.

Maybe it was the fear that built inside of her because Minerva seemed mad, but Erza burst out into a loud fit of laughter as well. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to ruin it!"

Letting out a sigh to calm herself down, Minerva merely pulled out polish remover and put some on a cotton ball to wipe away the ruined paint, "It's fine, Erza. I was only messing around, and even if I was mad at first… for some reason, I can't stay mad at you."

Erza smiled at that, "Besides… this way we won't have to stop gossip hour."

Minerva couldn't help but smile too, "Speaking of which, I believe it's my turn to ask the questions…" She teased, looking up at Erza with a smug look.

Erza flashed a nervous expression, though she couldn't keep that front up for long. Something inside her made it easy to confess all in Minerva, and Erza liked hearing from Minerva too.

Erza was just glad to finally have Minerva as a friend.


	6. Chapter 6

The shower was a welcome distraction from everything that was going on. The warm water against her skin, her _real_ skin, was a pleasant change. Minerva hadn't seen her real skin in the longest time, and while she did wash the scales on her body before, there was always an itch, a pestering feeling of being filthy with that form. She no longer felt that way, now that her actual skin was visible to wash. Such a scenario started to make Minerva appreciate the body she was born with a lot more; she might have boasted about it before, but knowing she could have nearly lost it and had it ruined forever made her cherish it deeply.

As soon as she stepped outside of the shower once she was finished, Minerva again was reminded of something she cherished: her magic. Normally she could have simply used her magic to dry off in an instant and dress herself, but with those blockers on her wrists… Minerva realized how dependent on her magic she truly was. It frustrated her at first, but she soon came to remember just why she had them on her in the first place. It was tough, but she would manage somehow. She simply had to do everything the long way.

Minerva stepped out of the bathroom, her hair freshly combed and a towel wrapped around her body. She was holding where she tucked in the towel around herself just to be safe, and very shortly after Minerva stepped out, she noticed Erza's reaction.

Erza had glanced over when the door opened, but she almost immediately averted her gaze and cleared her throat, trying to give Minerva her privacy. Minerva only raised her eyebrow in response.

"What?" Minerva asked, confused, "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-No!" Erza hurried to amend, gaze occasionally flickering over towards Minerva but always flitting away afterwards, "I just didn't want to be rude and stare before you got dressed."

Minerva playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head, "After last night you should know that I don't mind the attention."

Erza huffed in response and crossed her arms, "I'm trying to show you some respect here!"

"And I'm saying that we're close enough now that you don't have to worry about such a trite little thing." Minerva tilted her head, a ghost of a smirk on her lips when she realized she could get Erza cornered, "Or are we actually not that close after all?"

Minerva had a point, Erza had to admit. She hated how Minerva was saying it and she hated the situation, but Minerva got her right where she wanted her. "...We're close. Excuse me for not worshipping your body with my eyes."

Minerva laughed at that. She could appreciate that sort of bite from Erza. It made things much more interesting when she fought back. "You're forgiven." She teased, though eventually her demeanor mellowed out and she let out a sigh, "I normally don't have to step out undressed like this, anyways. I can dress and dry myself within seconds because of my magic. You can see how this was a fairly unique situation since…" Minerva raised her wrist and torqued it a few times, drawing attention to the blocker around it.

Erza frowned as her brow creased, "Yeah, I get it now." She turned back to Minerva and stood up, walking closer, "You know… if you wanted to, I could take those off of you so you can use your magic again. You're controlling yourself a lot better now. I see no need for them to be on any longer."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Minerva closed her eyes and shook her head, "Erza… I appreciate it, but that's not the smart thing to do here. We've had one day where the markings haven't come back. I don't know how long it will stay like that. If you take them off of me, I… I don't know if I'd let you put them back on."

"Mm…" Erza hummed, nodding her head and letting her gaze fall to the ground, "Right. Even so, you're really changing, Minerva. For you to be that careful and to hold yourself accountable… it's momentous. You may not have your magic, but… you should still feel some pride in knowing that you're really turning yourself around."

Minerva's lips turned upwards briefly in response, "Heh, if you say so, Erza. Though, can we hold off on the sentimental conversation until _after_ I'm dressed? I feel like that would do the both of us some favors."

"Eh?" Erza tilted her head until realization suddenly settled in and she spun around, face completely turning red, "Haha, yup! Don't mind me! Just uh… do whatever you have to do! I'll wait! Hah!"

Minerva couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Heh. Loser." She teased, turning around and heading into another room.

"Hey!" Erza countered with a puff of her cheeks. She soon shook her head with a sigh and calmed herself down, moving towards the bed in the room she was in. She sat down and crossed her legs, making herself situated in the meantime as she waited for Minerva. Within a few moments, Minerva stepped out in a short black nightgown, running a hand through her hair to push it out of her face.

When Erza looked over upon hearing the door open, her eyes widened slightly at the sight of seeing Minerva in that nightgown, and she bit on the inside of her cheek to try and keep herself together. She swallowed harshly, looking Minerva over. "Is the slit up the side really necessary?"

"Sometimes it is." Minerva's lips curled into a sly grin as she sat down next to Erza on the bed.

Erza only rolled her eyes and groaned from disgust. Minerva couldn't help but laugh in response. Soon Erza ended up smiling though, and she shook her head to take her mind off that subject, "You know, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"And here I thought it was my turn to ask the invasive questions…"

"It isn't invasive, shush." Erza scrunched her nose, "And you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Go on.." Minerva hummed, closing her eyes and stretching.

"I've never been able to understand how your magic works." Erza said, tilting her head, "Just what is your magic?"

Minerva opened an eye and raised an eyebrow at that question; truth be told, she was expecting something far more personal based on her comments earlier. Perking up, Minerva glanced down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if she were using her magic. "Territory Magic is… difficult to explain."

"I have time."

Minerva shrugged, "Then I can explain. Territory is what I call it, but a direct translation of the name is Absolute Dominion. It's a type of spatial magic that lets me have complete control over the space around me."

Erza leaned forward, resting her chin on her fists, "I've never seen a magic like it before."

"You… probably wouldn't have. Unlike every other sort of magic, this is one that cannot be taught. You have to be born with it." Minerva explained, "It's not like Slayer Magic or Maker Magic, where you can learn it from a teacher or a book. Not only do you have to be born with it, but you must be pure of blood too."

"Pure of blood?" Erza repeated with a tilt of her head.

Minerva nodded, turning her head further away, "Only those pure of blood from the Yakuma clan can wield the magic."

"But… I thought the clan went extinct?"

"Mostly it has, but there were a few survivors who kept the bloodline alive for generations around the country… Jiemma was born to one of these surviving villages, but the numbers have long since dwindled, and he left his clan in search of a female pureblood. That's when he found Kore, and forced her to marry him, and forced her to have a child." Having prodded her fingertips together for awhile, Minerva jolted from failing to restrain the bitter feelings as she spoke, causing her to scratch herself. Her jaw was wired shut tightly, and she refused to meet Erza's gaze.

Erza's expression only softened at the sight, frowning and reaching forward to place her hand over one of Minerva's. "You don't have to share the whole story."

Letting out a sigh to try and level herself, Minerva slowly glanced up at Erza, only able to hold her gaze for a second until breaking away. "Perhaps not, but… as infuriated as the memories make me feel… it is nice to get it off my chest."

Erza squeezed Minerva's hand slightly. "Don't push yourself."

"Well, that was mostly the end of the infuriating parts, anyways. I can't tell you how thrilled he was to have a child born with a magic thought to have been used by the clan's gods." Minerva ran a hand through her hair, trying to seem unbothered with a casual sigh, "He landed his perfect little soldier to bend to his every whim, and… well, you know what happens after that."

"Mm…" Erza hummed sadly, gaze flittering elsewhere. There was a moment of tense, heavy silence that was only broken when Erza spoke up again, asking, "Do you hate your magic?"

Minerva looked up at Erza, brow creased, "What a strange question…"

"Given the circumstances that had to happen in order for you to even have your magic, I mean... Did that lead to any resentment for it at all?" Erza clarified.

Silence fell over the two of them again, this time because Minerva took awhile to think over her answer. She opened her mouth a few times to speak but ultimately decided against it, until she looked back at Erza looking moderately resolute in the conclusion she came across. "No… I don't. I couldn't hate my magic. It's a blessing, and a source of pride…" She fell silent and let out a breath, clenching one of her fists, "I need you to answer something for me."

Erza raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Is it possible to hate with every fiber of being who you were born to… yet take pride in your heritage?" Minerva asked, genuine confusion on her expression, "I'm proud of who the Yakuma were as a people and a culture, but I absolutely despise how it was Jiemma's blood that made this possible…"

Erza nodded and let her gaze fall to the bed between them. She wanted to word things carefully in response, yet not disappoint Minerva too much with it. "I… I can't answer that for you, Minerva. You have to decide for yourself how you view your heritage." She paused, "...Although, it is of my personal opinion that you should take everything into account here, and how you saying you're proud of your heritage may sound to others who have known Jiemma."

Minerva twisted her lips and nodded slowly, "...Right. I'll think on it more later."

"Ultimately, it's your decision to make how you view it. I can't decide it for you. I think you've come far enough to know what's best here." Erza said to try and clear things up. She didn't want to preach to Minerva when it wasn't her place to do so. She just had to guide Minerva to an answer, whichever answer she pleased.

Minerva eventually just let out a defeated sigh and laid down on the bed, resting her hands on her stomach. "I'm exhausted.."

"It hasn't been an easy couple days. I can't blame you." Erza drew her knees to her chest, turning her head to better look at Minerva where she lied down.

"How about you?" Minerva quirked an eyebrow, "How are you holding up?"

Erza's eyebrows raised from surprise at Minerva's concern, though her expression schooled itself soon enough, "I'm doing just fine."

"You sure?" Minerva asked, looking Erza over for a moment.

"Er, yeah…" Erza sounded confused, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you know… The whole thing with Fairy Tail." Minerva continued, words coming out slowly; concern for others was new to her after all, and she was carefully trying to figure out how to approach the subject. "It's been a few days. I want to make sure you're… you know, alright."

Erza frowned and averted her gaze, "I'm managing. It's still difficult to come to terms with. There's a lot I have to work through that I haven't dealt with yet. I'll handle it once I can resolve everything with you. I'm focusing on your situation first."

"I don't want to be your distraction."

Shaking her head, Erza found it in herself to gaze back at Minerva, "You're not a distraction. What I mean by saying that I'm focusing on you first is that I made a promise to my friend to see that she gets better. I'm nothing if not a woman of my word, Minerva. I made this promise. I won't let anything stop me from seeing it through to the end. I want to be here for you, and I made that decision before I got the news. I'm not just staying to keep my mind off things. I'm staying because I want to help you."

Minerva closed her eyes and turned her head away. She was silent for quite some time, as if she were lost within her own mind. Her response came out quiet, and she seemed hesitant in even speaking it, "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press you like that. You have to understand, that sort of concern and worry over my well-being… it's foreign to me. It's hard to wrap my head around how someone could do that so unconditionally."

Erza's expression softened out of sympathy, and she reached out to place her hand on Minerva's arm. After a second, Erza even tried to flash a smile, "I'm sorry to hear how new this whole concept of support is to you, but… you're going to have to learn how to live with it. I'm afraid you won't be shaking off my caring self anytime soon. You're stuck with me now."

Slowly but surely the corners of Minerva's mouth curved upwards into a smile, and Minerva rested her hand over Erza's, "There's worse people in the world to be stuck with."

Erza's own smile widened at that, but before she could say anything further, she was cut off by Minerva yanking her downwards. Erza fell face-first onto the bed, face obscured by the pillow she fell into.

"I said I was exhausted. No more sentimental talks or I'm kicking you out." Minerva teased, satisfied with herself for that.

When Erza rolled over so that she was no longer eating the pillow, there was still a smile on her face and she laughed under her breath. She laid on her side to face Minerva, an arm under her head to support it. "Got it. I'll shut up now."

"I never said you had to shut up." Minerva clarified, "I just said no more sentimental talks."

"Does that mean more gossip?" Erza asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"If you want, though we both know it's my turn to ask the questions. You've pried nearly everything out of me." There was a playful tone to Minerva's voice as she spoke the last part.

Erza scrunched her nose at that, "Hey… It's not my fault you're so interesting…"

"And you're certainly interested." Minerva said with a laugh.

Letting out a stubborn huff, Erza shook her head to compose herself and move on with the conversation, "What else could you possibly ask me? There's nothing very intriguing about my life."

Minerva rolled onto her side to face Erza, a devious look on her face, "I'll find something, I'm sure…"

"That's terrifying."

"Shush." Minerva rolled her eyes, "I know you've talked of the one guy who things will never work out with… but I want to know, that can't possibly be it in your life, right? There _has_ to be someone else…"

Erza pursed her lips in thought, trying to think things over. She couldn't think of a face or a name to someone she liked in that way. Soon she only shook her head as her response, "I can't think of anyone, honestly."

" _Really?_ Huh." Minerva sounded wholly surprised, "There has to be someone who you've thought about once or twice, right?"

Erza still shook her head, "Maybe I just surround myself with people not up to my romantic tastes."

"Forget about romance. This is hard to believe. Not even a friend you've just messed around with?"

"Nope. I told you, Minerva, I've done _nothing_ interesting." Erza explained, "I've never even kissed someone."

Minerva let out a hum in response, gaze drifting down to Erza's for a moment before returning to Erza's eyes, "That's surprising. Unfortunate, even."

"Are you just going to rub it in?"

"I didn't mean to." Minerva shrugged, "Do you know what kind of person you'd be into?"

There was a moment of pause as Erza thought it over. "Well… anyone who can put up with my oddities is a plus. I don't think I have a type." She said plainly, unsure.

Minerva grinned to herself, "You weren't kidding before. You don't have much to share."

Erza let herself smile back, "Guess not."

Rolling onto her back, Minerva closed her eyes and rested a hand over her stomach. There was a hint of a smile still present on her lips, however, "I'm starting to wonder if you did anything fun at that guild. It sounds like all you fairies did there was fight."

"It's… not far off from the truth, actually. All in good spirit, though." Erza admitted with a sheepish laugh, "Us girls were prone to one thing, however."

"And that is?" Minerva asked, interest in her voice.

Erza shimmied closer to Minerva and made herself situated so that she was barely brushing up against Minerva's side, "Sleepovers." She grinned.

"And here I was, about to kick you out so I could get my beauty sleep."

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

Minerva rolled her eyes playfully, "You're lucky I'm just that tired that I can't muster the energy to manually throw you off this bed."

Erza puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, "Loosen up a bit.. It's what friends do! We're friends, right?"

"You're playing this card on purpose since you know I can't say no…"

"Perhaps..." Erza smiled guiltily.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Minerva tried to let out a bothered sigh, but the hint of a grin on her lips betrayed that attempt, "Just don't steal all the sheets. There will be hell to pay if you do."

That got a laugh out of Erza as she pulled the covers over herself and Minerva. "It's surprisingly easy to pull a soft side out of you, no matter how hard you try to bury it behind threats."

"I'm not soft." Minerva protested.

"Keep telling yourself that." As if to prove her point, Erza immediately cozied up to Minerva's side and snaked an arm around Minerva's waist, "You can't say no because deep down you don't want to say no."

Minerva let out a groan at that, almost in begrudging agreement. "Is this necessary?"

"Not particularly." Erza said, "It's kind of a habit, though. It helps me sleep better.."

"So… You get in bed with people and smother them to fall asleep?" Minerva sighed.

Wincing, Erza glanced away, "That's… not how I would have phrased it. Being close to someone when I sleep just makes me feel safer…"

Minerva mellowed out at that, glancing at Erza with a concerned look, "Are you afraid to sleep alone?"

"Most nights, no." Erza's voice dropped into something quiet, "But it does help with the nightmares."

"Nightmares, huh…" Minerva repeated. She closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath, deep and pointed. Erza thought that Minerva was annoyed and she went to pull away, but Minerva's arm wrapping around her back stopped her. "You should've led with that."

Gradually, Erza came to smile and she got herself resituated, resting her head on Minerva's collarbone. She closed her eyes and sighed contently. "You really are growing soft."

Minerva's response wasn't verbal. Instead, where her hand rested on Erza's hip, Minerva just slowly dug her nails into Erza's skin.

Erza tensed at the stabbing sensation in her side. "Ouch! Okay! You're not soft!"

Laughing to herself, Minerva retracted her nails and grinned, "Thought so."

Sleep came to Erza easily after that.


End file.
